News Roundup 26 April 2021
Apr 26, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines’ COVID-19 cases reach grim 1 million with 8,929 more infections | PHILSTAR. COM – The Philippines breached a million COVID-19 infections on Monday as officials reported 8,929 additional cases. While experts have noted a decrease in daily infections in Metro Manila last week, the numbers are still high compared with what the country reported before March. The overall count is now at 1,006,428. Active cases also decreased by 2,452 from yesterday’s 77,075.
- Active cases: 74,623 or 7.4% of the total
- Recoveries: 11,333, bringing the number to 914,952
- Deaths: 70, or now 16,853 in total
Senators seek review of NTF-ELCAC spending after red-tag spree | PHILSTAR.COM – Senators on Monday doubled down on criticism of the government’s anti-communist task force as it called for a review of how it uses funds allocated to it. Spokespersons of the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) came under fire over the weekend for linking volunteer-led community pantries to communist rebels. In a resolution, members of the upper chamber — so far Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Sens. Nancy Binay, Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian and Grace Poe — said the NTF-ELCAC’s actions only “served to deter the lawful exercise” of people’s freedom of expression, and cast doubt on the intent of the pantries’ operation. “There is a need to review the performance of the NTF-ELCAC in fulfilling its mandate vis-à-vis the need for judicious use of scarce government resources,” senators said, “and whether its P19.1-billion appropriation for 2021 should be used instead to help address the needs of our citizens during this pandemic.” Senators noted that the line should be drawn between legitimate counter-insurgency operations and “silencing and crippling of innocent civilians with baseless and unsubstantiated claims.” “With the limited resources of the government, especially at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic…all government agencies are expected to use their budget judiciously, effectively and efficiently pursuant to their mandate,” they said. The task force’s spokespersons had previously red-tagged actresses and celebrities as well as a reporter for the Inquirer. Red-tagging, or the practice of labeling government critics and activists as terrorists and communist rebels, has become common in the Philippines, with the UN rights office saying last year that it has become normalized and institutionalized. Red-tagging has led to harassment and even violence and death.
14 senators sign resolution seeking to censure Parlade | INQUIRER.NET – Majority of senators are now supporting a resolution seeking to censure Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. following his “very disrespectful, derogatory and demeaning” remarks against the Senate and some of its members. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has yet to file the resolution in the Senate but according to his office, 13 other senators have already signed the measure. Aside from Drilon, those who signed the resolution are Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Senators Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Joel, Villanueva, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Sherwin Gatchalian, Leila de Lima, Richard Gordon, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo Lacson, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and Pia Cayetano. “It’s not a matter of appeasing the Senate, it’s a matter of upholding the dignity of the Senate,” Drilon earlier told reporters when asked about his resolution. This stemmed from Parlade’s “stupid” remark against senators, who want to defund the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) over red-tagging issues.
Robredo calls for more doctors to address citizens’ concerns in E-Konsulta | Manila Bulletin – Vice President Leni Robredo repeated her call on Monday, April 26, for volunteer doctors, particularly psychiatrists and psychologists, to address the thousands of requests her Bayanihan E-Konsulta initiative has been receiving. A few days after she called for volunteers earlier this month, the vice president temporarily closed the program to onboard and brief the first batch of doctors. This free medical tele-consultation service has 642 volunteer doctors, including 1,974 non medical volunteer involved in the day-to-day operations. But Robredo admitted that they sometimes could not accommodate all the requests they get in a day despite operating for almost 24 hours, a reason why she made a call again for another cohort of volunteer doctors. This time, though, she specifically called those with specializations in the field of psychology and psychiatry. “We are already overwhelmed by the generosity and selflessness of our volunteer doctors but we need more so we can serve more. Since all consultations are through telephone, you can be anywhere in the country,” she said in a Facebook post. “Our call bridging agents will facilitate the calls between you and the patients through three-way calls. There is no minimum number of hours that you can volunteer in a week. We know how busy all of you are so we will adjust to your convenience and availability,” Robredo told the doctors. The Bayanihan E-Konsulta is open to COVID-19 and non-COVID patients in the National Capital Region Plus (NCR Plus) bubble. It aims to decongest hospitals that are often overwhelmed with the number of patients needing medical advice and care. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) wants to make medical advice accessible to those without money to pay for the consultation. This is why the initiative is being run on a free platform that would not require an internet connection. As of Friday, April 23, the OVP’s E-Konsulta had thus far received 25,494 medical requests, which is an average of about 1,500 per day.
